Abigail Adams to Elizabeth Cranch

Yes my dear Neice, it was a Ceremony2 that one must study Some time to find out either utility or pleasure in it. I own
tho I made one in the procession I could not help feeling foolish as I was parading
first up one side of a very wide road, for a mile and half and then turning, and following
down a vast number of Carriages upon the other as slow as if you was attending a funeral.
By this adjustment you see, one row of Carriages are constantly going up, whilst the
others are comeing down, so that each calvicade have a fair view of each other, and
this is call'd going to Long Champs.

About the 3d of Feb'ry the Carnival begins. During this time there is great festivity
amongst the Parissians, the operas are more frequent, and Mask'd Balls succeed them.3 The Theaters are crowded, and every place is gay. But upon the 27 of March,4 or the Sunday upon which the celebration of the passion of our Saviour commences,
the Theaters are closed, and continue so during 3 weeks. Lent lasts six weeks, all
of which is fill'd up with Church ceremonies, one of which is the Kings washing the
feet of a dozen poor Boys, and the Queen as many Girls, after which they give them
a dinner in the Palace at which their Majesties and the princiss of the Blood, attend
them at table, the princes and Lords carrying the plates.5 There is an other ceremony which is call'd the day of Branches. The people go very
early to mass, before day light and continue a long time at it, after which the Priests
go forth preceeded by some Church officer, with a large picture of our Saviour, and
an other with a silver cross. The people follow two, and two, Men Women and Children
with Branches in their hands, and Book[s] chanting their prayers. They go to kneel and pray before the crusifix one of which
is placed upon the Road in every villiage. There are 3 days also when a peice of the
Real and true Cross, as they say is shewn in the holy Chapel of Paris, { 131 } and every good Catholick kisses it. Then comes holy Sunday when every body goes to
Church and the Night it begins the Clergy make a solemn procession into the Halls
of the palace at 3 oclock in the morning, and as nothing is performed here without
the assistance of the Military, the Commandant of the Watch sends two Companies to
escort this procession. But neither the Concert Spiritual which is held three times
a week in the Château des Tuileries, nor all the ceremonies of the Church can compensate
with the sad Parissians for the absence of the Plays. To fill up the time and vary
the Amusement, this parade at Long Champs was invented. It continues 3 days. The place
is about one mile from hence. It is a fine plain upon each side of which are rows
of trees, like Germantown Woods. Here the Parissians appear with their Superb equipages
drawn by six fleet Coursers, their Horses and servants gayly drest. All kinds of Carriages
are to be seen here, from the clumsy fiacre to the gilded Chariot, as well as many
Gentleman on horse Back and swarms of people on foot. The city Gaurds make no small
part of the shew, for the Maré Chaussee6 as they are call'd are placed along in rows between the Carriages, and are as despotick
as their Master. Not a Coach dares go an inch from its rank, nor one carriage force
it self before an other, so that notwithstanding there are many thousands collected
upon this occasion, you see no disorder. But after all it is a senseless foolish parade,
at which I believe I shall never again assist.

Your Cousin who I hope will have the happiness to deliver you this will tell you so
much about us, that less writing will be necessary for me than on many other occasions.
He cannot however say, that I feel myself happier here than I used to, at the Humble
Cottage at the foot of the Hill. I wish the dimensions of that was enlarged, because
I see no prospect of a more convenient one; and I hope to rejoice there with my Friends
in some future Day. I think I am not unlike the Nun who used once a year to be permitted
to make an excursion into the World, half of the Year she diverted herself in recounting
the pleasures she had met with and the other half in those which she expected.

I shall have some regret I assure you in quitting Auteuil, since I must leave it for
London instead of America, that being the destination which Congress has assignd us.
The trees in the Garden are putting on their verdure, and the flowers springing into
Life. The Song of the Nightingale too regales me as I walk under the trees whose thick
branches intwin'd, form a shade which secures you from the rays of the Sun. I shall
mourn my garden more than any other { 132 } object which I leave. In many respects I think I shall feel myself happier in London,
but that will depend much upon our reception there, and the Course which politicks
take. If that is not agreable we shall return so much the sooner to America.

It is a long time Since I had a line from you, and I believe I have brought you very
deep in debt.

I have sent you some flower seeds. You will not get them early enough for the present
Season, but plant and preserve them next year that I may find them blooming when I
return, and be so good as to give some of them to Mrs. Warren. Believe me my dear
Girl most affectionately Yours

1. The “8 1785” is written in a different ink; it was probably added upon the completion
of the text.

2. Betsy had apparently inquired, in a letter now lost, about the parade out of Paris
and along the Allée de Longchamp through the Bois de Boulogne, which was held on three
days each year during Holy Week. JA, AA, and AA2 briefly witnessed this affair on 24 March, and AA, AA2, and JQA joined the procession on 25 March, Good Friday, the last and most crowded day of
the event. Both JQA and AA2 left vivid descriptions of Longchamp (Diary, 1:238, 239; Jour. and Corr., 1:55–56, 62–63). Two years earlier, John Thaxter had devoted an entire letter to
AA to this festive occasion (18 April 1783, above). See also the Descriptive List of Illustrations, vol. 5.

4. AA is in error here. In 1785, Easter fell on 27 March; the week of Semaine Sainte (Holy Week) began on Palm Sunday, 20 March (JQA, Diary, 1:238–239).

5. In 1785 this event occurred on 24 March. JQA noted it briefly (JQA, Diary, 1:238); AA2, after mentioning the royal ceremony, gave a highly critical description of a similar
washing ceremony at St. Sulpice (Jour. and Corr., 1:61–62).

Abigail Adams to Elizabeth Smith Shaw

I do not expect to date you any more letters from this place. Delighfull and blooming
Garden, how much shall I regreet your loss. The fish pond and the fountain is just
put in order, the trees are in blossom, and the flowers are comeing on in succession.
The forest Trees are new clad in Green, several beautifull rows of which form arched
bowers, at the bottom of our Garden, the tops being cut, so that they look like one
continued plain. Their leaves and branches entwine and shade you intirely from the
Rays of the sun. It will not be easy to find in the midst of a city so charming a
scene.2 I shall quit it however with less reluctance on account of my sons absence { 133 } which would be more urksome to me here, than in a Country the language of which I
shall be able to speak without an interpreter, or so much twisting and twirling of
my tongue, and then pronouncing badly at last.3 I expect to be more Scrutinized in England than here.4 I said I will take heed to my ways5 is a text of holy writ fruitful! of instruction in all Situations of Life, but speaks
more loudly to those who sustain publick Characters.

Your Nephew returns with some expectation, if you give him leave; of becomeing an
inhabitant in your family for six months, or more: I hope he will render himself agreable
to you and all his Friends. Charles I suppose will have left you before his Brothers
return. Tho absent from your family I trust he will not be so from your care, but
that both his uncle and you will advise him as you find necessary.6 I feel myself happy that I have Friends so kind and attentive to my Children that
I am not anxious but what they will find good care either in Sickness or Health.7

It is so long since I heard from my American Friends that I begin to grow impatient.
I had hopes that an other Years wandering would have put an end to our pilgrimage.
You can hardly form an Idea how difficult, and expensive it is, to be house keeping,
a few Months at a time in so many different Countries. It has been Mr. Adams's fortune
ever since he came abroad, not to live a year at a time in one place. At the Hague
he has a House and furniture, but they could not be removed 500 miles. Therefore it
was necessary to hire a house and furniture here, to buy table linnen; bed linnen,
China Glass and plate. Here we have resided 8 months and now we must quit this for
England; removals in these Countries is not so easy a matter as in ours, for however
well you may pack up your things for the purpose they must undergo so many Scrutinizes,
besides paying heavy Duties for passing from one Country, to an other, of which I
can give you one instanc which happended a few moments ago. A Gentleman in one of
the provinces8 sent Mr. Adams a present of 5 bottle[s] of wine which he wisht recommended in America, and this was to serve as a sample.
The duties which we had to pay upon only those five bottles mounted them up to 3 livres
a peice, and the real value of the wine might be nine or ten coppers a bottle, be
sure not more. The injury which cloathing sustains in such long journeys upon paved
roads is incredible. I fancy I never related to you a droll adventure which happen'd
to me on my journey here. My Friends advised me when I came abroad to take my money
in Crowns and Dollors, as being the most advantageous for me, but when arrived; I
found I could not part { 134 } with them without much loss, so I concluded to take them with me to France. There
were about 200 which I had put into a strong bag and at the bottom of my travelling
trunk, they were placed, in the middle of which I had put a large Band Box in which
I had packd a very nice Gauze Bonnet 4 Caps hankerchiefs &c. to the amount of about
5 Guineys, which I had made for me, whilst I was in London. The 3d day of our journey
I had occasion to open the trunk. I found a prodigious black Dust upon the top. I
directed it to be taken out, when o! terible to behold, Dust to Dust, and ashes to
ashes, nothing was left of all my riging but a few black rags,9 so that when I got to Paris, I could not bee seen untill I had sent to the Millinars
and bought me a cap. You can carry nothing with any safety but what is upon the top
of the carriage.10

I hope my Nephew and Niece are well, when I get to England I will send them some Books.11 I hope I shall be able to suit you in your lace, but fear you will think you could
have done better in Boston. You will not fail writing by every good opportunity.

[dateline] May 10th

Tomorrow morning my son sets out for L'orient from whence he will embark on Board
a French pacquet for his Native Land, where I hope he will happily arrive. And next
week we commence our journey for England. I mourn more and more leaving this place,
for it is daily more Beautifull, and I find too that six months more would make me
tolerably expert in the Language. But all things must Yeald to Buisness. The weather
continues very dry, and not the least symptom of a change. We hear it is still worse
in England where the provisions have risen to an enormus price.

I received a Letter from uncle Smith last week dated 25 of Febry12 and was happy to find by it, that my Friends were all well. About this season of
the Year you used to visit your Braintree Friends. When You meet be sure to talk about
us, and that Idea will give me no small pleasure. I send Your lace and hope it will
be agreeable to you. There are 10 yard/4. I gave Eight Dollors for it, for which if
you please you may give credit. I hope the little peice of blew silk came safe to
your hand which I sent by Capt. Young. If you wish me to get you any shoes in England
write me word. There are none good under 2 dollors.

Remember me to Mr. Shaw and all my Haverhill Friends, Good Madam Marsh if she is still
living,13 and be assured of the affectionate Regards of Your Sister

RC (DLC: Shaw Family Papers) Dft (Adams Papers); incomplete and undated, with the material arranged quite differently from the RC (dated and filmed under [May 1785], Adams Papers, Microfilms, Reel No. 364). The editors have noted a few instances of interesting additional
material in the Dft.

1. The “8th” and “1785” appear to have been added later; see AA to Mary Cranch, [ante 5] May, note 1, above.

2. In the draft AA concludes her description of Auteuil with the sentence: “I must not expect for 5000
a Year to be so well situated in London. I hope our Country will think that without
any extravagance our expenses are necessarily very great.”

3. At the beginning of the draft, well before giving this same reason for regretting
JQA's departure, AA remarks: “A few day[s] more will Seperate my Son from us. On that account I shall less reluctantly quit
Paris, for we should find a vacuity in his absence which will call for much amusement
to supply his place.”

4. In the draft AA writes more forcefully: “Yet I shall never feel a real freedom of speach whilst I
am an Appendage of a publick Character, and I expect to be more scrutinized in England
than here.”

5. Psalms 39:1: “I said, I will take heed of my ways, that I sin not with my tongue:
I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.”

6. The draft adds here: “I hope Tommy is attentive to his Books. Tis probable he will
remain with you for several years.”